"Keys" Resources

Foundations of Leadership is the University’s introductory course for new supervisors and managers of non-student employees. Building upon the strengths of our former supervisory training program Keys to Supervision, Foundations of Leadership is designed to be more easily accessible, better support development of faculty leaders, and provide more information and resources on virtual management for those who manage staff in other locations.

Some highlights of the redesign include:

Less focus on classroom learning and more emphasis on self-paced, outside classroom learning.

Completion of a People Leadership Skills Assessment so participants learn what performance management skills need development.

Increased use of web-based modules and videos to teach important concepts such as employee engagement, creation of S.M.A.R.T. goals, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality preferences, etc.

Past participants in Keys to Supervision do not need to take Foundations of Leadership. "Foundations" contains approximately 80% to 90% of the same content as "Keys."

Course Purpose

The goal of Foundations of Leadership is to provide new University of Minnesota Leaders who have been hired externally, or promoted internally, the knowledge and resources needed to make a successful transition into leadership.

Design Highlights

The course is divided into three parts which are scheduled two weeks apart to accommodate completion of pre-work. The three parts are:

Part A: Understanding Yourself

Part B: Understanding U of M Culture

Part C: Leading People

Time Commitment

Completion of all three parts of Foundations of Leadership requires a 15 to 16 hour total time commitment

Each part consists of 3.5 hours of classroom training and 1.5 to 2 hours of pre-work

Pre-work must be done to successfully complete training

Participants should discuss the pre-work time commitment with their manager in advance and set aside time on their schedule to complete it

Course Description

Foundations of Leadership has been designed with the belief that in order for leaders to be successful, they need to first manage and understand themselves well. Second, they should have a good understanding of the environment in which they work in and third, understand important leadership concepts and management responsibilities. Each part of the course expands on these topics:

Objectives of Part A: Understanding Yourself

Upon completion participants will be able to:

Using information gained from completing the MBTI Step II, explain where you get your energy, how you like to gather information, make decisions and behave under stress

Describe what organizational culture is as well as influences of subcultures within the University of Minnesota

Identify actions leaders at different levels can take to change organizational culture

Describe what employee engagement is and take steps to increase it

Describe the services offered by the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Disability Services/U Return Office, Office of Conflict Resolution, Office of Occupational Health and Safety and the Office of Risk Management

Describe specific steps leaders can take to create and maintain an equitable, diverse, inclusive and welcoming workplace